Imaginary Desert Landscape: Round 2

Dear reader,
I recently decided I needed to do something about the composition in my artwork.  I decided that my composition skills are holding me back from making better artwork.  So, I gritted my brains and decided to grab composition by the scruff and shake it.  The results we're (long pause) not what I had hoped.  Instead of improving my painting I seem to have tensed up my creative muscles and made something choppy and garish.

Just having resolve to do something better doesn't always mean the results will really turn out better. I think I may have to revise my ideas about how to work on composition in my paintings.  I think I have to go about it with a softer touch and use some of my intuition that I've built up from creating paintings over the years.

Here is some of my current process in creating imaginary desert landscapes:

This is my first attempt at an imaginary desert landscape before I decided I needed to work on my composition.  I'm in the process of revising this one.  The mountains on the left are too dark and draw too much attention.  The dirt and shrubs at the bottom are too light.  They look too minty.

Here's my "grit my brains" painting.  It's obviously worse than my first attempt. The colors look garish.  The red mountains in the foreground are awful. The composition looks terrible. 

So I decided to sketch out a new idea.  This sketch reminds my of some of my older paintings with the way I drew the sky.  The rocks remind me of how rocks are painted in Chinese paintings. The sketch is to work on an idea so I'm not concerned about whether I like everything about it. 

Today I started this painting.  it was going to be based on the sketch but it only partially references the sketch I made. This one is changing as it is being painted.  The end result may be similar to this or it might be quite different.

Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe: Desert Landscape

I'm going to start off this post in a seemingly off topic way here by saying that yesterday I went to an art reception in which I have one painting.  I got a chance to look around at a lot of art that had made it into the show; and there was a lot of it. There were some pieces of exceptionally well made art as well as some mediocre art.
Awards were given at the show; and when awards are given it leads me to think about why the art that won awards won them.

Then, today I was reading a booklet written originally in 1948 entitled " Secrets of Famous Artists: How you can make the most of your creative talent".  Despite a somewhat tacky sounding name it's actually quite insightful.  The wording sounds like it was written for high school aged students.  The booklet goes over a few basic ideas about composition within a work of art.  When I read it I thought , "Ah ha, that's what I've been ignoring when creating my paintings." I've been concerned with brush strokes and colors all the while leaving my composition to a matter of chance.  I realized that I need to think about and plan out my compositions more.

Recently I was creating a painting of the ocean and some part of the sandy cliffs reminded me of the desert.  Paintings of the desert in turn remind me of Georgia O'Keeffe.  Georgia O'Keeffe was one of the artists I really admired when I was in high school.  For myself, when I think of her paintings I think of her desert paintings in New Mexico where she lived when she was older.  I also think of the way the color values transition smoothly in her paintings.

This is my most recent painting of a desert inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe.  I like the idea but I think the composition needs work. 

So now I have a desire to compose mental deserts and create paintings of them.  Maybe I wish I was in New Mexico because of the way I think New Mexico feels.  Maybe I feel that there are mentally dry places in life.  Maybe I want to paint the way I think Georgia O'Keeffe paints (which is not the way she actually appears to paint when I look at her work).  Whatever the case may be imagined desert places is my next jumping off point.

Working as an Artist - Next Work in Progress

Dear unknown reader,
Now that I have been making paintings as well as having the opportunity to show some of my paintings I really feel like a working artist.

I have not sold any paintings recently so I'm still not currently able to make a living as an artist.  However, my other job is covering my expenses and allowing me to create.

Recently one of my students asked me if I was a real artist.  I think those were her words.  I told her that I am.  It's nice to know that I can honestly say I am an artist and that I am making art.

Here is what I am working on in my tiny studio right now:

This is the first couple of layers of my current painting.  I started with a few colors as an under layer.  Then I sketched out the parts of the painting using dark brown paint and a thin liner brush.

This is after I've added more colors with a medium sized round brush.

I'm painting in my small studio space at home. I keep my paints on the left because I'm left handed. This canvas is 20 x16.

Making Serious Art

I dropped of my piece of art at the gallery today.  I'm proud to have been accepted into the art show.

When I was there I took a peek into a room where some paintings were being stored.  I assume the paintings I saw were going to be hung in the upcoming show.  What I saw looked impressive.  I feel honored that my work has been chosen to hang alongside of these other works.

This makes me feel that my art is a serious endeavor and not just something I play at.

Another of my paintings was recently accepted for an annual show at a winery.  Although I have not seen the location I have a feeling that the show will equally impress me as a professional one.

I'm grateful to God for being able to find these opportunities to create and show art.  I have spent many hours painting to practice my skill in art.  I believe that through hard work I have improved in painting but I also believe that painting has come more naturally to me than many other people because of the skills God has given me.